Podcast Roundup: 5 Takeaways From The Multi-Location Marketing Leader Podcast

Netsertive’s new podcast, The Multi-Location Marketing Leader, is in full swing. With 10 episodes released, the podcast discusses key strategies with multi-location marketing leaders in the franchise industry.

Here is a highlight of our last five podcast episodes and great takeaways you can bring to your brand.

Take a Hybrid Approach to Social Media

Every brand seems to take their own approach to social media, with varying degrees of success. Our podcast guest Kristen Pechacek, Chief Growth Officer at Massage Luxe, had this key piece of advice for establishing a winning social media presence: combine the best of both worlds.

Not only do you need to showcase the key elements of your brand, there must also be a local element. Customers may connect with your brand message, but what’s going to win them over is the strong local presence your franchisees may have in their community.

''There are two components to social media success. The first is brand content, that steady drumbeat of —  this is your brand, use your brand promise, here's some industry expertise. These are things that establish who you are as a brand. Those things take a lot of time; We're talking blogs, videos, infographics, you name it.

The other half of the equation is local content that gives the page or the account that local feel people resonate with. Those are things like the customer photos, stories, staff, culture, location, specific items.”

Kristen Pechacek, Chief Growth Officer at Massage Luxe

Marketing Needs a Seat at the Leadership Table

Marketing can’t exist in a bubble. In order for your marketing efforts to yield actual results, they must be clearly aligned with the rest of your business’s goals and objectives. According to Duone Byars, Executive Director of Marketing at Green Home Solutions, that translates to having a clear, transparent, and productive relationship with your company’s leadership team.

“Part of the whole thing about being successful in marketing is being on the same page with your leadership. It's almost like we read from each other's mind from different things and we're on the same page and that's a very important thing for any marketing leader—to make sure that
you understand the overall goals and objectives of the company, and you can actually show how your marketing department is contributing to that and back it up. That's gonna be key.”

Duone Byars, Executive Director of Marketing at Green Home Solutions

Data and Analytics are Important to Making Smart Decisions—But You Have to Know Which Data to Use

Not all data is created equally. When you’re reviewing the results of any marketing campaign, it’s important to know which data to focus on and which to ignore. While it’s true that all of the data can be helpful in painting a holistic picture of how your marketing is performing, when it comes to making decisions about your strategy, only a few key metrics really matter.

Liane Caruso, CEO of Hello CMO, shared how she approaches data and analytics at her company. With so many variables and metrics to choose from, it’s crucial to review the ones that align with your business objectives and goals. That way, you have a clearer picture of what’s working and what’s not in your marketing efforts.

“I think what's important is that we do have data, and we do have analytics, and understanding which ones are important and which ones are real is important too. But I think making an informed decision is the most important part. So if you look at Google Analytics, there are parts of the website that are important to make a decision, and there are ones that maybe you don't need to make a decision of, but you need to know or keep an eye on.

There are things like bounce rate, and there are things like time on site - Where did visitors come from? How long are they staying? What are they reading? There are important things to know, but how are those analytics tied to all the other things you're doing? Are the people who are coming from Facebook staying on longer? That's an important thing to look at."

Liane Caruso, CEO of Hello CMO

Set Clear Expectations for Franchisees and Provide Coaching to Help Them Be Successful

Marci Kleinsasser, VP of Marketing at Handyman Connection, broke down some of the keys to running a successful franchise. One takeaway we wanted to highlight is having clear expectations of what the franchisees are bringing to the table and what the franchisors are going to provide.

However, she doesn’t expect every new franchisee to be a marketing expert. That’s why Handyman Connection offers new franchisees plenty of resources, including a formal training program designed to equip them with the knowledge and resources they need to run a successful business.

“So, when a new franchisee starts, we actually have a class going through what we call "bootcamp" right now.  A new franchisee gets signed. Well, first they go through meet-the-team day. They work with our operations team and then our director of local marketing through a bootcamp process, which is five weeks and marketing is meeting with them once a week, and then we have one week that's marketing bootcamp and that's our team basically taking them through the, what we call "launch phase", which is 90 days of marketing and what their local marketing plan looks like. And, we pretty much have a turnkey plan for them.  They'll work with our key digital,  our preferred partners, as well as any of our print partners, they'll get all of that set up, and so, five weeks, that's their bootcamp.”

Marci Kleinsasser, VP of Marketing at Handyman Connection

Technology is a Powerful Part of Marketing, but it Must Be Used Wisely

Doug Zarkin, VP and Chief Marketing Officer at Pearle Vision, spoke about the power of using technology wisely to align with business goals. Chasing after new advertising trends isn’t sustainable, and it may not help your business deliver new sales or grow revenue.

Rather, Doug recommends looking at your brand, your customer audience, and your franchisees to determine what is going to be advantageous to them from a marketing sense.

“Fear of missing out is not a marketing strategy. And so we don't chase technology. We figure out how to embrace technology, especially when it comes to buying and planning to be even more effective. But the power of storytelling is at the heart of what makes Pearle special.”

Doug Zarkin, VP and Chief Marketing Officer at Pearle Vision.

Never Miss a Podcast Episode

For more information about The Multi-Location Marketing Leader, check out our podcast page. Have a question for one of our marketing experts? Don’t hesitate to reach out to us here.

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